Any Minette

The first and third acts shine brightest at this authentic bistrot.

by Trey Popp

Michael T. Regan STACKED: Bistrot La Minette chef/owner Peter Woolsey, a former Starr pastry chef, turns out a masterful raspberry mille feuille. (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

It was a cold coming we had of it, bundled up against the bitterness of South Sixth Street in November. We rounded a corner cursing and grumbling, a glow north of Bainbridge Street our pole star. Mustard-colored light spilled out from the short doors of a long, narrow bistro, and we entered and walked all the way to the end. A red-vested waiter took the first order from our table — Alsatian pizza and mustard-braised rabbit — and raised his eyes from his notebook to my companion. "You have chosen," and here he paused ever so slightly, "wisely."

It was a question that could just as easily apply to people considering Bistrot La Minette itself. When Peter Woolsey set out to create a classic, straight-ahead French bistro in fall of 2006, Philadelphians had a limited number of such places to choose from. In the last two years, the menu of options has expanded considerably. Zinc, Coquette and Cochon were among the entrants in 2007, and Stephen Starr's giant Parc splashed onto the scene this Bastille Day.

Woolsey has credentials. He studied at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, worked with Georges Perrier here, and turned in stints at Striped Bass and Washington Square. His quest to create La Minette was a 21-month odyssey involving obstacles familiar to just about anyone who has opened a restaurant in this city. (In Woolsey's case, the story squeaked into the feature well at Philly Mag.) The result is a warm, intimate restaurant that should delight anyone in search of refuge this winter.

My order, in broad terms, mirrored everyone else's: The appetizer was a winner by knockout, but the entrée was a split decision. Dessert brought back the golden gloves.

In restaurants as in theater, the first and third acts frequently bring more excitement than the second. At La Minette, the gulf was particularly wide. My salmon tartare starter was absolutely inspired. A disc of rose-petal-hued fish studded with an earthy mosaic of lentils got a third dimension from the blood-orange vinaigrette pooled at its edges — and a fourth from tiny diced cornichons that danced a briny jig on my tongue. That Alsatian flammenküche featured caramelized onions, recalling its Mediterranean cousin, pissaladière, but a touch of crème fraîche solidified its northern European provenance.

It's a boom time for sardines and roasted red peppers in Philadelphia, and the four filets on another appetizer plate hit the target. A puff pastry filled with mushrooms was my least favorite of the four appetizers I tried, but only because of the lofty company it kept.

Yet it outshone all of our entrées. The rabbit was too salty, and it came on bland house-made tagliatelle. A lamb shank won praise for its tenderness, but the white wine preparation didn't add a whole lot of oomph. A rib-eye came in a generous portion — and with a cute bundle of haricots verts tied up with a bacon strip. That simple, perfectly cooked dish was my favorite main.

The most interesting, however, was the striped bass roulade that our server had tried to steer me away from. Wrapped around a fluffy salmon mousse and encased in cabbage leaves, it was certainly not your standard fish presentation. He was right to give caution, but I was glad I ignored him. Had it, too, not suffered from over-salting, it might have been a minor triumph. The airy, delicate profile of this dish was an appealing departure that has a lot of promise.

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Dessert at La Minette is all about promise fulfilled and expectations exceeded. Warm chocolate cake has become so mundane, but not this one — shell cooked to within a hint of a crisp, but a molten lava of chocolate inside. There was also a stellar chocolate pot de crème, and a raspberry mille feuille better than any I can recall. The outstanding end of our meal eclipsed the middle, putting us back into the mindset of the very strong start. And there is something to say for a tart of caramelized apples whose warmth can steel you for the inevitable journey back into the cold.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

Hours: Mon.-Thu., 5:30-10:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5:30-11:30 p.m.; closed Sun.

Appetizers, $7-$15; Entrées, $17-$29

Wheelchair accessible